kscans

Chapter 193 - Episode 9: Preparation

"Hold on a minute. This sugar is susceptible to moisture."

"Ours is the same, you know. Sugar doesn't spoil, so ours should take priority."

"Hmph, do you even know how much this costs, just one jar of it?"

"That's just an additive for the culture medium. This is the main component."

From the makeshift storage shed behind the lab, the exchange between two men could be heard. They seemed to be arguing over where to put the delivered goods. It had been a while since I heard such an exchange.

Inside, a large quantity of materials was piled up. Carefully navigating around the large number of eggs that had been brought from Rilka-san, I went further inside, where Plural-san and Dalgan-san were glaring at each other.

"Excuse me, seniors."

I called out to them. I had no intention of mediating. In fact, it wasn't necessary. This was more like their usual greeting to each other.

"This is the delivery of the highest quality goods, you see. I need to handle it myself."

"Because these are custom-made items that only our company can produce."

In fact, the high-grade ingredients the two of them brought in were materials for a magic catalyst of national secret caliber.

"I am truly grateful that you responded to such a sudden and large order."

I bowed my head. These were custom-made items among custom-made items, not something you could simply say, "I'll pay, so just prepare this much." Especially since they required significant effort due to limited production volume, and on top of that, they overlapped with their families' main products.

"More importantly, if there's any heavy lifting left, leave it to me."

"Well, we aren't exactly idle, either. But we haven't spread ourselves thin as much as you have."

The two of them said, looking away from each other. I was completely indebted to them. However, it was clear that this was no time for me to be reserved.

"I apologize, but Plural-senpai, I'd like to ask you to make distilled water. Dalgan-senpai, please handle the wood cutting."

Plural-san shrugged ironically, and Dalgan-san rolled up his sleeves.

Returning inside the building, I found Rilka-san in the first-floor biology lab, picking up colonies from Petri dishes. Behind her, Vinaldira-san was refining the magic catalyst from a large Erlenmeyer flask. Next to that, a centrifuge, improved with sorcery-gold bearings and a circuit that flowed magic, was spinning another flask.

"Numbers four and eight, put on hold. Put three and seven through the iris. Discard the rest... Wait, number six is interesting, so hold that one too."

"Number six... Y-yes, I understand, Maytyl-denka."

"You don't need to keep adding 'denka' every time, just hurry with the work."

In the next room, Maytyl-denka was holding a magic catalyst spread on glass and magic-sensing paper in her left hand, and a magic crystal in her right. She was selecting for the wavelength characteristics of the catalyst function. Sherry-san was assisting her. She seems to have been born under such a star.

I checked on the growth of the newly sown colonies and headed for the stairs.

I went up to the second floor, opened the door, and began my task of extracting samples from the tree rings. I arranged the cut tree rings and marked them every ten years. Even within a single tree, the width of the rings varied completely depending on the location.

This alone was quite a laborious task. Seventy years' worth of tree rings formed seven piles. I recorded their weight.

I put the separated samples over a flame. It had already been confirmed that the magic components were not lost through heating. I mixed the ashed samples with an amount of alcohol corresponding to the weight I had just measured. I poured the sample liquid extracted into the liquid layer into small bottles. When the alcohol evaporated, a black, slightly reddish, tar-like liquid was produced.

I lined up the seven resulting small bottles neatly within a wooden frame. These were the measurement samples. I took them to the measuring device and handed them to Fulsy-san.

Mia-san was engrossed in statistical processing. The variation for each sample was significant. Beside her, Leonard-san was reading out the numerical values.

In the back of the room, Noel-san was creating new pipettes, preparing molds for magic semiconductors.

◇◇

Break time. Everyone reported on the progress of their respective projects while munching on yokan.

"Regarding the magic cartridges, we've made progress on one of the two unnecessary bands in the magic crystal. But for the other one, we're having trouble finding a suitable candidate."

On the magic-sensing paper Maytyl-denka held, one of the three bands of the magic crystal had completely disappeared. It was the power of a catalyst that absorbed only magic of specific wavelengths.

"Huh? Didn't you say you'd made progress on that?"

"Well, we thought we'd found one, but it turned out to absorb a wavelength and then emit it as a different wavelength."

"I see..."

It must be something like a fluorescent reaction. We found several catalysts with similar properties during earlier screenings.

"Well, just removing one band seems to have some effect. But what will happen if the circuit characteristics change? I want to try it with Noel-san's circuit soon."

"I-I'll do my best."

"The tree rings project still has a long way to go, you see. After all, we need to unfold various wavelengths into a spectrum."

Fulsy-san said, pinching a blurry magic-sensing plate. Even just getting an image was a huge step forward.

"I don't really understand it, but it's Vinder-san's usual project, isn't it?"

"Looks like we still have a long road ahead."

Plural-san and Dalgan-san, who had been listening to the reported experimental results with astonished expressions, said. Rilka-san and Vinaldira-san rubbed their sleepy eyes. Sherry-san's eyes looked dead, but that might be because the Imperial Princess was right beside her even during break time.

"I apologize for making you all overexert yourselves."

I bowed my head to everyone once more.

"We haven't heard the detailed story, but it's not someone else's problem, is it?"

"And well, you know, this is also necessary for the new city, Central Garden, isn't it?"

Dalgan-san said. When did the city's name become Central Garden?

"That's right, we are merchants. And the kind who would ride along with Vinder-san's grand plan to establish a business base in the monster territory."

"...Th-that's right. We can't miss a chance for such a huge profit."

The Central Garden members raised their voices one after another. Good heavens, responsibilities too heavy for me, who always tries to protect myself, had accumulated without me even realizing it. However, I didn't feel it was merely a burden. I felt that its weight would become the strength to overcome any obstacle.

"If we can't prevent the calamity, the Kingdom itself will be in danger. Senpai, you should also make sure to keep Alfina-sama in good spirits."

Mia-san said, pouting her lips.

"Huh?"

"Well, regarding that, we have no choice but to leave it to Vinder-san, don't we?"

"Our tasks here are already decided. Vinder-san, why don't you go back for once? You haven't been home for days, have you?"

Just when I had made an uncharacteristic resolution, everyone started trying to drive me out.

"You've arrived at a good time, haven't you?"

Luiza-san poked her head in. She was gathering the members of Alfina-sama's study group in the library, conveying Alfina-sama's image to the nobles from various regions, and narrowing down the corresponding locations. Of course, the details were kept secret, and the members were said to be carefully selected.

◇◇

"...The academy side is like this. Measures against the predicted calamity are steadily progressing, so please rest assured, Alfina-sama."

I reported on the situation to Alfina-sama, who was sitting up in bed. I had heard from Claudia-san that she was now able to eat properly.

"That's right, Alfina-sama. Grand Duchess Bertold-sama has strictly instructed us."

Claudia-san said. As soon as she was able to get out of bed, she had apparently started saying she wanted to go to the cathedral.

"Clau-san is being mean. Even though I'm already well, she won't let me out of my room. It's precisely because everyone is working so hard that I, too, should..."

Alfina-sama puffed out her cheeks.

"Regarding the crystal, it is something only Alfina-sama can do. That is precisely why we wish for you to conserve your energy for when it is truly needed."

"Even you, Ricardo-kun...?"

"Currently, Luiza-dono is proceeding with narrowing down locations based on Alfina-sama's visions."

"I know that... But this time, the images I see keep changing one after another. So, if I could just a little bit..."

"Even if you look at places you have never seen yourself, Alfina-sama, it does not necessarily mean efficiency will increase. Gathering the 'primary information' of the prophecy, this is the most efficient and effective method."

Although it was a sophism to keep Alfina-sama away from the crystal as much as possible, it was also the truth. Alfina-sama was intelligent. Lies and deceptions would not work on her.

"As long as you, Alfina-sama, are the only one who can see the images of the prophecy, there are things you must do. For that purpose, please keep your health in perfect condition."

"If Ricardo-kun says so much... I understand. But there were some strange places among what I saw. I don't think anyone in the Kingdom would know about them."

Alfina-sama looked at me intently and said. No one in the Kingdom?

"I saw a place where a large river flows to the south."

"That is..."

I faltered. If that was the River of Hope. But until now, it was only within the Kingdom... I couldn't imagine the crystal arbitrarily incorporating information about the new territories across the river.

"You won't go to dangerous places on your own, will you, Ricardo-kun? I'm worried about you, Ricardo-kun, that you might do something reckless."

Alfina-sama looked at me with pleading eyes.

"O-of course. Someone as powerless as me would only be a hindrance if I went into the monster territory."

I would probably have to go as far as Princess Lisabet's territory. But beyond that, in the dragon territory, I would be a hindrance.

◇◇

"Thank you. Thanks to you, it seems I'll be able to keep Alfina-sama away from the crystal. ...For the time being, at least."

Leaving the room, I bowed my head to Luiza-san.

"Oh, it's strange for Vinder-kun to be thanking me. Shouldn't I, as her aide, be thanking you instead?"

"Eh, ah, oh. Now that you mention it..."

She was certainly right. This was almost as if...

"Well, thinking of Alfina-sama in that way isn't a bad thing. A little possessiveness can be pleasing to a woman, after all."

"...Um."

"Anyway... No, this can wait. It's more something to ask Mia-san about. Regarding the list, I've made a few adjustments."

Luiza-san said, frowning for just a moment.

"Thank you very mu... That's good to hear."

I hastily corrected myself.

There wasn't much time left until the meeting for countermeasures against the predicted calamity.